The recent increase in popularity in the last few years of bicycle racing has resulted in a much greater use of racing style bicycles particularly by the general public, and while the invention is suited for use with any bicycle, it is particularly useful with racing style bicycles in which handlebars are wrapped with tape.
Lighting systems previously proposed for use on bicycle handlebars are generally unsuitable in connection with bicycles having taped handlebars not only because they require the use of handlegrips which are undesirable but also because they are in the way or interrupt the clean lines of the handlebar. In addition, prior devices are not suitable for mounting directly on a handlebar and usually project rearwardly from the handlebar somewhat. Early attempts to produce satisfactory handlebar lighting are exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,469,944; 2,603,701 and 2,793,284, 4,319,307. In all of these prior devices, a light bulb is mounted on the handlegrip to project rearwardly a short distance from the end of the handlebar and a lens enclosing the bulb is supported upon a rearward extension of the handlegrip. These patents demonstrate attempts to solve the problem of providing effective lighting for bicycle handlebars. All of these patents, although making significant contributions to the field, still require handlegrips for support or otherwise interfere with the uniform contours of the cloth wrap provided over the handlebars and tend to be in the way, a fact which is important for racing style bicycles.
In view of these and other deficiencies of the prior art, it is an object of the invention to provide improved handlebar lighting which is supported entirely from the handlebar itself, requiring no handlegrip for support and is recessed almost entirely within the handlebar.
Another object of the invention is to provide handlebar lighting which will not interfere with the uniform contours of the tape wrapped about the outside surface of the handlebar.
Another object is to provide vehicle lighting which will enable existing high-speed or racing bicycles which have no handlegrips to be retrofitted with the lights and wherein wiring will be protected but will not require the drilling of holes or the like in the handlebars.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved handlebar light which can be easily installed by a bicycle owner who is unskilled in electrical wiring, with provision for recessing the entire light within the rearward end of the handlebar and supporting the light by engagement of outwardly projecting resilient inwardly deflectable and extendable bar engaging members surrounding the bulb and projecting outwardly in a radial direction around it.